The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-10-18
A PANIC IN A THEATRE.
The eenseles. Madness that Sometimes
Take. Hold of People.

IL seems impossible, when you look
around at gallant men and amiablc wom-
en-. sitting placidly at a play, that in a
moment on Inc utterance Of one word,
they can be turned into dumb. driven
cattle, senseess. suicidal idiots. But II -
so. Any night The auditorium OF
fashionable theatre may echo 10 some nm
fortunate note Of alarm I'm an instant
the gray haired banker. whose dignity
gave tone 10 bis whole section, Is walking
ND the backs Of women and over the heads
Of children.
At the Park theatre one night the
theatre that happily WAS destroyed by IRE
about three hours before the time when II
would have been packed by New lork ;
rest people tn witness Mrs l.hngtI! ;
lehutl. some dude. entering up the unsaie
and toriuou. stairway. threw his cigarette
through lhr iron grating Of the steps
Some accumulated rubbish began 10
smolder. and volume Of smoke po'lreh
into thcauditOrium About half the audi
ence sitting there knew that the stage had
an enormous square opening direct upon
Twenty second strect--a door not ten iecl
from the level of the street Every soul
I'm the house could have gone over the low
foOtlinlt.. crossed the stage and been IN
Twenty second street IN three minutes
time They had 8ll entered the theatre
bv the crooked. narrow passage. they all
knew TO-, miserable limits. they saw me
smoke coming in az that narrow passage
and vet when some scared scamp near the
door Jumped 10 his feet and screeched
"Firer they all with one accord started
to the rear. regardless of life or limb.
Luckily that night a stalwari police
man. w. Oh the lungs Of Stentor calmly
said. There ain no fire, Us been put
out. He grabbed the first Tot oi maj
people and bodily pat them down INFO
seats: 1ut for few minutes there was
the widest kind Of scrimmage \ wei
known and dieniied citizen had sat TN
high bred ease two seats ahead OF me dur
inc the performance As the panic struck
him he rose. mounted over the back Of
his seat and started 20 walk on the shout
dors Of some fashiOnably attired ladies.
II seemed am occasion for remOnstrance,
and | had q slight but severe remark 10
make. and made 10 with an opera glass;
the old gentleman took the kindly hint
and concluded 10 walk ON his leg in the
aisle. but hc had made a fair start to
tramp to safety over his fellow creatures
Another time in the Cosmopolitan hall
the place was crowded for d first night OF
min,trclsy. There was a low gallery run
ming round the building. supported ON a
series of iron posts During the evening
one of these posts Slipped of the block '
and crashed through into a billiard saloon
in the basement The gallery in that par
ticular spot saggcd, crcaked and some
beam split with alarming noise. In a
moment all was excitement in the crowded
gallery was sitting q few feet in front
of this spot. and being fearful the people
might Jump down ON my devoted head,
pushed nay escort. a very important aud
selfsunicient gentleman and suggested
we get into two broad a..le- beside him,
where. ID people jumped. they would not
Jump on MS ! got no response. and
might as well have pushed az the side of
the house he was 50 immOyahle With
"levcl fronting eyelid,' he confronted
nothing and looked at 10 steadily Tie
cla~ped q hard Derby hat against his
stomach and was as near petrifactiou as iS
consistent with life.
After the alarm subsidized and the per
Torrance was resumed. 10 was discovered
that my scared friend had crushed his hat
ON his body as fiat a. mustard plaster
and pressed the nails Of one hand so
yonomously into the other that the blood
had started through the cut skin-Cin
cinnati Enquirer